Aftermath
by PayingInNaivety
Summary: After aiding the Hero of Time in sealing the King of Evil in the Evil Realm, Nabooru returns to her home, Gerudo Fortress. But will she be accepted back into their society after betraying their king? A journal-esque chronicle of the events of Nabooru's life after her destiny as a Sage was fulfilled.
1. Chapter 1

So I finally got the courage to post this. Basically, this will kind of be like journal entries for Nabooru post OoT. In other words, this is my take on what happened to Nabooru and the Gerudo after the events of Ocarina of Time.

I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

Home after all these years.

I closed my eyes as I stood before the entrance of Gerudo Fortress. The sand beneath my feet, the rays of the desert sun beating down on my tan skin, the wind blowing through my crimson hair…all beloved aspects of my life that had been stolen from me for seven years. However, even more criminal was being separated from my people. I had devoted my life to them, both by protecting them and doing my very best to give them a better life. But one misstep with our king at the time brought my life and plans to screeching halt…

However, what happened between me and the former king is not the most pressing matter on my mind. Returning to the Gerudo after all this time (at least I _think _I have not been around for the entire duration of my brainwashing) will be no easy task, especially if the women are aware of my betrayal. Our duty as Gerudo is to serve the Goddess of the Sand, our king, and our people.

I broke that code, and my sisters could be quite unforgiving.

Not to mention the fact that I almost could not return to this realm. After the Hero of Time broke the spell that had been cast on me, I had been awakened as the Sage of Spirit. The six of us were initially meant to remain in the Chamber of the Sages, performing our duties from there. However, since all of us held prominent positions in our respective communities, we formed an agreement: we would live out our lives normally, and when we "die," we would return to the Chamber of the Sages and continue our work there.

While I am grateful for this decision, I know that my rank among the Gerudo will never be as it was. Before the brainwashing, I held the position of Ganondorf's Second in Command. Because he has been sealed away, I would normally take on the duties of leader. But I know I cannot do that after I had betrayed the king and in turn my people as well. My plan is to explain to the Gerudo everything that happened and then retire to the Spirit Temple. As much as I wanted to remain among my people, I knew that after they knew the truth, I would not be accepted again.

Mustering up the rest of my courage, I strode through the narrow passageway leading to the fortress then up the stairs. When I reached the top, it seemed everything stopped at once, from casual conversations to training sessions, and a silence so prominent I swear I could have touched it fell over the women. All eyes were on me as I nervously shifted my weight. I was not sure if I should prepare for an attack or some kind of welcome.

"Nabooru?!"

The unmistakable voice of the woman I had chosen to be my own second cause me to whip my head in the direction of the sound. Sure enough, Aveil vaulted herself across the sand and pulled me into a bone-crushing hug. Aveil had always stood a few inches shorter than me, even as children. She wore her usual red outfit, signifying her rank, and her red hair was pulled back in its usual ponytail, an amber jewel holding it in place. "Where have you been?" she questioned as she held me at arm's length. I could not help but notice that she did not look a day older than I remember, and I began to wonder if I looked seven years older. "It has been at least two years since you've been to the fortress."

So I had not been cooped up in the Spirit Temple for the entire seven years. A knot formed in the pit of my stomach and I swallowed the lump that formed in my throat. What all _had_ I done then?

Before I could answer, Aveil began shuffling me toward the fortress, shouting to the other women to stop ogling and return to their duties. She led me to the now empty dining hall and sat me down at a table, taking a seat across from me. "So what happened? It's like you disappeared for a while."

"Well, in all honesty, I kind of did." When my friend's expression became one of confusion, I shook my head. "Listen, I need to speak with everyone. It's really important and about what has been going on."

Aveil gave me a pleading look and folded her hands on the table. "Nabooru, I am speaking to you as your best friend, not your second. Just tell me something. I know Ganondorf sent you on some top secret mission, but you can at least let me know _something_. Just between us?" She smirked slightly and winked at me.

I fought the urge to roll my eyes at her explanation. Typical. Ganondorf _would_ make up some lie to help keep his reputation among the Gerudo untarnished. Such an act as having another Gerudo brainwashed is unheard of and practically forbidden among our people. Our lives are not easy as it is, and it is in our best interest to work together, not make enemies of each other. Because of this sense of community, crimes against each other are particularly frowned upon in Gerudo society, especially where the king is involved.

I sighed softly and looked into Aveil's eyes. "That's just it. Ganondorf never sent me on any top secret mission." I paused, wondering just how much they knew about the current state of things. Did they even know of their king's fate yet? "The truth is I have been brainwashed for the past seven years thanks to those sorceresses Koume and Kotake."

I could tell Aveil was having a tough time keeping herself from laughing which caused me to frown in frustration. "Nabs, no offense, but that's a little ridiculous. I mean, you came around here and seemed perfectly normal to me."

"You just have to trust me," I groaned, my gaze locked on hers. "I remember nothing from the past seven years because I was brainwashed to do Ganondorf's bidding. Test me with something if you really don't believe me."

Aveil's ever-present smile vanished at that point and the mischievous glint in her eyes disappeared. "Well, there is one thing I know you would never forget…" My friend fell silent for a moment, as if attempting to find the right words. "Something you would never forget that would happen in the last seven years…your mother's passing."

With those few words I felt my heart break. My mouth became drier than the desert, and I felt tears begin to form at the corner of my eyes. "N-no…that can't be true…" I stammered, stubbornly wiping the tears from my eyes. "I…how?"

Eyes widening for a moment, Aveil shook her head, mumbling, "Well, you must be telling the truth if you really don't remember that." Her gaze fell on me, her expression apologetic. "She became ill about five years ago. The healers couldn't cure her and…" There was no need for her to finish her statement; I understood.

I am not sure what part of this news hurt me most: the fact that I missed being beside my mother in her time of need or that my relationship with her had never been the greatest. The largest strain on our relationship was our conflicting views on my future. She always wanted me to settle down, but my dream to become an elite warrior was far more important to me. This meant constantly honing my skills, participating in and leading raids, and even taking on dangerous missions. Children were not on my to do list, and marriage definitely was not for the most part…at first, anyway.

"I'm sorry, Nabooru," Aveil whispered gently, placing a hand on mine. She then stood, her expression remaining solemn. "But I will gather the rest of the tribe so you may speak to us." She then made her way to the exit, glancing back at me one last time before leaving.

I remained at the table and buried my face in my hands. Salty tears finally began to leak from my eyes. I don't know why I could not believe that my mother had passed. I suppose she had always seemed immortal to me. Perhaps I was simply too young to think of my mother's death back then…

After a few moments, I quickly pulled myself together. I would have plenty of time to mourn during my solitude in the Spirit Temple.


	2. Chapter 2

It was not long before Aveil returned, her expression still as solemn as it had been when she left. Not seeing her normal, impish smile weighed heavy on my heart, especially when I thought of the news I planned to divulge to the rest of the Gerudo. Not only would they all find out about the demise of our king, but I will be telling my best friend that I intended to leave her again. I did not wish to hurt her, but I had to do what was best for the Gerudo.

"Everyone is together," she informed me, the same stoic expression on her face.

I nodded and stood, making my way over to her. I offered her a slight smile, hoping to at least cheer her up a little and show that I was fine despite her devastating news. "Thank you, Aveil. Shall we then?"

A flicker of a smile crossed her own lips before she headed back out the door and I followed. She led me out of the fortress, and there I was met with hundreds of Gerudo women clustered together before a raised platform that had been brought out for the occasion. Only a few seemed to notice as Aveil and I stepped on to the platform, the others continuing to gossip among themselves. The sight made me remember what had been taken away from me: precious time with my people. How I wished I could be down there talking amongst them rather than up here about to reveal to them what had really happened to her and what she planned to do next.

As the crowd began to realize that I had taken the stage, a hush began to settle over the women, many of them smiling with eager looks on the faces. Well, that won't last long.

Deciding to get this over with, I finally cleared my throat. "I know it has been a while since I have been around…" I glanced over at Aveil, and then back to the women before me. "Two years to be exact as I was apparently on some secret mission." A new hush seemed to roll through the crowd, a buzz of excitement in the air. I sighed softly and nervously tapped my fingers on my thighs. "Well, I'm here to tell you the truth of the matter."

In the blink of an eye, their expressions changed from excitement to an odd mixture of curiosity and foreboding. I felt my heart sink and my stomach tie itself into knots. I felt the urge to simply shout "Just kidding! The mission was a huge success!" and jump off the platform and pretend like nothing happened. However, I knew that was not an option.

I took a deep breath and finally continued. "About seven years ago, Ganondorf and I had begun to have…disagreements about how to better the lives of our people. I wanted to do things by our own means and Ganondorf wanted to obtain an object called the Triforce, which, according to Hylian legend would grant the wish of the holder. I said it seemed dangerous somehow, and he pointed out that our means had never gotten us where we should be.

"I then began to catch wind of rumors about problems in other areas of Hyrule: the Kokiri's guardian had perished, the Goron's food supply had been cut off, and the patron deity of the Zora had begun to act strangely. What these events had in common was that before all of these things happened someone had visited the areas inquiring about the Spiritual Stones, keys to possessing the Triforce. Ganondorf was the one who caused these events, and I disagreed with his methods."

At this point I paused, listening to the nervous whispering among the crowd. Some of the women looked anxious, their eyes wide and mouths hanging open slightly. Others either were not surprised or unaffected. I did not wish to besmirch the name of our king, really. No matter how much I despised him now for what he did to me and others, he was still our king, our leader. The Gerudo truly did admire him, and, truth be told, in some ways, I still did as well.

"Our disagreements became more and more fiery," I continued, keeping my expression serious and unreadable. "Knowing I could not convince him with words, I exiled myself in a sense, hoping to make a point to him. After roaming the desert for days, my conscience nagged me to return and try to ruin his plans to get the Triforce and rule Hyrule. So, I returned to the Spirit Temple, where he and his minions had been hiding out, and attempted to thwart his plans. However, I failed.

"And now, I will disclose what truly happened to me seven years ago, and what truly led to my near constant absence." At this point I paused, closing my eyes briefly as the memories of that day rushed back. The boy. The sorceresses. Their laughter as they used their black magic on me. The last thing I remember thinking before blacking out for seven years: "…_I failed"._

I opened my eyes again, hoping that I had managed to keep my composure as those memories rushed back. "That day, I was captured by the twin witches Koume and Kotake and brainwashed to do Ganondorf's bidding. To become an unquestioning pawn in his desire for conquest. This is not to say I was not to blame in this situation as I had disobeyed his commands and openly opposed him. So, in some ways, I deserved my punishment, and I am lucky he did not have me killed."

Audible gasps and shocked whisperings were heard throughout the crowd of Gerudo as they stared up at me in alarm. I am not sure if they were surprised that they did not notice when I did come around the fortress, or if they could not believe a king of the Gerudo would do that to one of his sisters. Or perhaps they simply did not believe my words. I mean, why should they? For the past seven years, I am sure Ganondorf had not been showing his true colors to them, making the women think he could do no wrong. Again, this made me wonder just what had been kept from my people, and what information did I not know about what had gone on here in my absence?

I cleared my throat to regain their attention, hearing several of the women shush others. Once silence had fallen over the group once more, I forged ahead with my tale. "In my brainwashed state, I had no sense of time, and I was unaware of my actions, therefore I cannot tell you what happened to me in those seven years.

"Not too long ago, the curse on me was broken by a young swordsman named Link who I had actually met on the day I was brainwashed. After he defeated Ganondorf's surrogates, I was awakened as the Sage of Spirit, and my destiny was to aid Link in defeating the Evil King, and returning peace to Hyrule. And that is what I did: I helped the Hero of Time seal Ganondorf in the Evil Realm."

At this point, my body became rigid as I half expected to be mauled by the rest of my sisters. I had helped in the defeat of our king and his imprisonment, a huge and unforgiving betrayal. And to be honest, I was prepared for it. If I had to die because I followed my heart and did the right thing, then so be it. Though I wished it had never come to that, I committed a crime of treason, and my sisters had every right to demand my head.

To my disbelief, no one moved. It seemed as if time stood still for that moment. However, the women's looks of shock had become ones of sadness, and it felt as if someone had begun slowly slicing me open from my neck down to my stomach at the sight of their pain. I had to keep my composure, just for a little bit longer.

I bowed my head and closed my eyes, holding back tears of my own. "That is why I have decided to leave if I am not to be executed for my crimes. I will spend the rest of my days in the Spirit Temple, away from the Gerudo entirely. I step down from my position as Second in Command, or I suppose now, leader technically, and hand it over to the woman who was my Second, Aveil."

I lifted my head and attempted to smile slightly, holding an arm out to Aveil. For the first time, I noticed her expression. Her golden eyes were glossy with unshed tears, and she appeared to be shocked by the news I had just divulged. She mounted the platform and stood next to me. The two of us locked gazes for a moment, and I swore she was going to beg me not to leave again. But I think she knew I really did not have a choice in the matter.

"Thank you, Nabooru," she finally managed, turning her eyes back to the crowd. "But I know I do not feel you should be executed for your actions, and I am sure I am not the only one." She glanced over at me briefly before continuing. "However, I believe we should discuss this matter among the Elite Council, as, despite her good intentions, she has committed severe crimes against the Gerudo. So, until a decision is made, Nabooru will be locked away as a prisoner."

The crowd remains solemn and silent as Aveil looks to me again. I simply nod and offer her a tiny smile. As I do, two guards take me by the arms and begin leading me away. I follow them without a fight, unsure of how the council would rule, and therefore uncertain of my own fate.


End file.
